"A coal ash spill into the Dan River this week focused North Carolina’s attention on the issue of coal ash reservoirs, but unlined ponds have been leaching waste into the soil for years."
"When a broken storm pipe caused the contents of a coal ash pond from Duke Energy’s Dan River Steam Station to spill on Monday, not many of the environmentalists, lawyers and researchers who study these ponds were surprised.
For years, coal ash – the residue produced when coal is burned – has been a major problem in the Southeast because wet containers, like ponds, leach their contents into ground water and soil each year.
While it will take weeks, if not months, to begin to tease out the environmental-health impacts of the spill, the first reports from scientists and agencies are giving some pause, and others relief."
Stephanie Soucheray reports for North Carolina Health News February 7, 2014.
SEE ALSO:
"North Carolina Protected Duke Energy from Pollution Complaints Before the Company's Coal Ash Disaster" (Mother Jones)
"Rachel Maddow: A Disastrous Toxic Spill Broke NC Interference for Governor’s Former Firm" (Raw Story)
"Warnings Ignored Ahead of Toxic NC Spill" (MSNBC/Rachel Maddow Show)
"NC Regulators Shielded Duke's Coal Ash Pollution" (AP)
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